Lock-lever



(No Model.) P. PARWELL.

LO-GK LEVER.

Patented Jan.27,1891.

Rommel we Nunms perms (20., mum-mm, WASHINGTON, a. c

'PFLASKI FARWELL, OF FREDERICK, ILLINOIS.

LOCK-LEVER.

SPECIFZGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 445,328, dated January 2'7, 1891.

Application filed December 18, 1889. Serial No. 334.206. (No model.)

To all whom it 17m 1 concern Be it known that I, PULASKI FARWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Frederick, in the county of Schuyler andState of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lock-Levers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention has for its object to provide a convenient lock-lever for operating wagon brakes or for raising the cutter-bars of mowers or reapers, or for use in connection with horse-rakes, gang-plows, or other implements, vehicles, or machines, my improved lock lever being so constructed as to avoid the use of springs or triggers, and still so that it may be set and locked in dilterent positions of adjustment by a direct forward or backward movement of an operating leverorhandle, thus avoiding the objections incidental to the use of such springless lock-levers as re quire their operating handles or levers to be twisted to disengage the pawl from the ratchet plate or rack.

In my improved lock-lever device I use what may be termed a compound lever, consisting of an operating-lever and a looking or pawl lever, these two levers being preferably pivoted at the same point. ing or pawl lever has a tooth or pawl to engage the teeth of the ratchet and is preferably somewhat loose on its pivot, so that it may turn or twist slightly when two inclines, one on the locking or pawl lever and the other on the operating-lever, are broughtinto contact, thereby disengaging the tooth or pawl of the locking-lever from a tooth of the ratchet and permitting the pawl to ride over the ratchet-teeth to any desired position of adjustment, all as will be hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 illustrates my invention as applied to a wagonbody as a brake-operating lever. Fig. 2 is a reverse view from that shown in Fig. 1,sh0W- ing the device detached. Fig. is a top view of the locking-lever with the operating-lever in section. Figs. 4. and 5 are detail sections on line 4: 5, Fig. 1, with the relative positions of the locking and operating levers slightly different in the two views. Figs. 6, 7, and 8 The lockare detail sectional views on lines 6 6, 7 7, and 8 8, respectively, Fig. 1. Fig. 9 is a bottom view of the devicewletached.

A denotes the segmental ratchet plate or bar, which may be formed integral with or attached to the arms a, through which pass the bolts a a by which said arms and ratchetplate are secured in place. The plate A has ratchet-teeth a on its under or inner side, said teeth occupying about half the width of said plate or bar, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6, thus leaving a plain space a B is the looking or pawl lever, and is preferably loosely pivoted on the bolt a or a sleeve through which said bolt passes, so that it can twist or rock laterally slightly, said lever having a pawl tooth or lip b to engage the ratchet-teeth of the plate A, and above the said tooth or lip 12 an incline b. On the side of the lower end of the said lockinglever opposite the said tooth and incline is a lug or stop b havinga finger b overlapping the ratchet-plate A.

O is the-operating-lever, also pivoted on the bolt a and formed at its upper end in any proper shape for a hand or foot lever. Said lever C is provided with an incline c, which is the reverse of the incline b of the lever 13.

The lever B has at its upper end a yoke b inclosing the lever 0, said yoke being preferably provided with an incline I) (see Fig. 3) to assist in the laterally rocking or twisting movement of the said lever to release the pawl-tooth b as the operating-lever G is moved backward, said o 'lerating-lever at its backward movement coming in contact with said incline.

D is a rod to be connected to a brake or other device to be operated, said rod being preferably formed in two parts connected by a coupling (Z, having reverse screw-threads engaging the threaded ends of the parts of the rod, so that by turning said coupling said rod may be lengthened or shortened for adjustment or to take up wear. The rod 1), being connected to the rear side of the yoke b has atendency to draw the pawl-tooth b, which is at the forward side of the lower end of the lever B, into engagement with the ratchet-teeth of the plate A, owing to the drag on said lever exerted by said red.

i The operation of my device is as follows: When the upper end of the lever O is moved forward. its lower end (which is confined between the leverBand theplain space a of the plate A) strikes the lug or stop 12 on the lever B (see Fig. 4) and moves the lower end of the latter lever backward, and in this movement the pawl-tooth on said lever B rides over the teeth of the ratchet-plate, there being play enough at the loose pivot of the lever B to permit of this action, and in using my device for a wagon-brake lever this forward'movement of thenpper end of the lever 0 applies the brake in the usual manner. when it is desired to remove the pawl-tooth from the ratchet to release the brake or for other purposes, the backward movement of the upper end of the lever 0 causes the inclines c and b tobe brought into engagement with each other, thus forcing the pawl-tooth I) out of engagement with the ratchet, (see Fig. 5,) so that said tooth can ride freely over the ratchetteeth, the loose pivot of the said lever permitting sufficient lateral turning or twisting movement for such disengagement of the pawl-tooth, while the finger b on the lug or stop b prevents too much movement of the lever B away from the plate A,,and the incline b in the yoke 19 assists the twisting action of the lever B. The boss or rounded projection a beneath the lever B andsurroundingits pivot facilitates this twisting action.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the levers B and C form a compound lever, the lever 13 having a slight turning movement on its loose pivotal point, while the operating-lever O is moved directly back and forth. It is not, however, positively essential that the pawl lever B should be loosely pivoted, as it might be made of spring-metal or of wood, in which case it would yield to permit of the release of its pawl-tooth by the action of the inclines; but as in practice the parts will usually be of cast-iron it will be preferable to have the lever B loosely pivoted.

Beneath the forwardeud of the ratchetplate A is a small incline 6, against which the lever B'will be wedged when the upper end of the lever C is thrown fully backward to hold the parts steady and prevent rattling.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, with a ratchet, of a locking-lever having a tooth or pawl to engage said ratchet, and an operating-lever having an incline arranged to engage the locking-lever to release said tooth or pawl from the teeth of said ratchet when desired by a direct movement of said operating-lever.

2. The combination, with a ratchet, of a locking-lever having a tooth or pawl to engage said ratchet, and an operating-lever arranged to engage the locking-lever and force the tooth or pawl from the ratchet on imparting a direct movement to the operating-lever, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination, with a ratchet, of a locking-lever having a tooth or pawl to engage said ratchet, and an operating-lever having its handhold extending beyond or to a point above the adjacent end of the locking-lever, said operating lever being arranged to engage the locking-lever and release said tooth or pawl from the teeth of said ratchet, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. The combination, with a ratchet, of a loosely-pivoted locking-lever having a. tooth or pawl to engage said ratchet and provided with an incline, and an operating-lever, also having an incline arranged to engage the firstnamed incline to release said tooth or pawl from the teeth of said ratchet when desired by a direct movement of said operating-lever.

5. The combination, with the ratchet-plate A, of the lever B, having pawl or tooth b, incline I), stop or lug b and yoke b and the operating-lever 0, having the incline c.

6. The combination, with the ratchet-plate A, of the lever B, having pawl or tooth b, incline I), stop or lug b and yoke 19 provided with inclineb and the operating-lever O, having the incline c.

7. The combination, with the ratchet-plate A, provided with incline e, of the locking-lever B, having pawl or tooth b and incline b, and the operating-lever 0, having incline c. 8. The combination, with the ratchet-plate A, having the plain portion a above its ratchet-teeth, of the lever B, having pawl or tooth b, and stop 17 having finger b and the lever 0, having its lower end confined between said plain portion a and lever B. V

9. The combination, with the ratchet A, of the locking-lever B, having a tooth or pawl b to engage said ratchet, and an incline b, the operating-lever 0, having the incline c, the rod D, formed in two parts, and the coupling (1, connecting the said parts of said rod.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PULASKI FARWELL. Witnesses:

W. M. GRIMWooD, GEO. MOORE. 

